The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Wednesday approved a grant of Rs. 1.094 billion for the induction of a luxury executive jet (Lineage L-1000 aircraft) into the Pakistan Army fleet, as part of supplementary grants worth about Rs. 380 billion cleared during the meeting.
Presided over by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, the ECC meeting approved summaries submitted by the Defense Division.
Alongside the executive jet, these included supplementary grants of Rs. 54 billion under three different heads of the Defense Services project, over Rs. 31 billion for the Special Security Divisions of North and South (SSD-N and SSD-S), Rs. 11.88 billion for various Pakistan Navy projects and Rs. 10 billion for internal security duties and allowances, as well as Rs. 29.139 billion for Project Istaqlal.
The ECC also approved supplementary grants of Rs. 275 billion for important water sector projects currently under implementation and facing financial constraints under the Ministry of Water Resources.
The funds will be specifically allocated for the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, Mohmand Dam, Greater Karachi Water Supply (K-IV), Chashma Right Bank Canal and Kacchi Canal. They will be disbursed gradually in line with WAPDA’s requirements under its payment plan for project implementation.
The government had allocated about Rs. 103 billion for these water sector projects in the 2026-27 budget, but WAPDA had been complaining of implementation difficulties due to financial constraints.
Wapda Chairman Muhammad Saeed had told a parliamentary panel that the allocated funds were insufficient and that his requests for the provision of adequate funds had been approved by the prime minister and the Ministry of Finance.
The federal government had secured about Rs. 1.035 trillion in additional funds from the four provinces outside the National Finance Commission in June to meet strategic national requirements, including those relating to the water sector and national security.
The ECC also approved Rs. 3.71 billion for the Frontier Corps Balochistan (North), on the request of the Narcotics Control Division, to meet the maintenance requirements of helicopters. The committee also allowed the continuation of gas supply to two Punjab-based fertilizer plants, Fatima and Agritech, until Dec 31, subject to availability.
The committee further approved the transfer of Rs. 15.625 billion in savings generated through austerity and fuel conservation measures to the Prime Minister’s Austerity Fund 2026, reinforcing the government’s commitment to fiscal discipline and prudent management of public resources, the statement said.
On a summary submitted by the Commerce Division, the committee approved restrictions on the import of camera-enabled smart glasses. It also recommended that provincial governments and the Islamabad Capital Territory develop appropriate workplace regulations to govern the use of such devices.
The ECC approved relaxation of the applicable Exploration and Production (E&P) Rules for the extension and renewal of 89 petroleum rights, subject to fulfilment of prescribed conditions. It also approved a grant of Rs. 1 billion for the gasification of villages located within a five-kilometer radius of gas production fields during FY27.
Via: Dawn
The post Govt Approves Grant for Luxury Executive Jet for Pakistan Army appeared first on ProPakistani.
